Maddiston nightmare neighbour’s sectarian rant

Laura Lowe (35), 6 Windsor Crescent, Maddiston, made her feelings towards her neighbour clear during a number of angry encounters.

Appearing at Falkirk Sheriff Court last Thursday, Lowe had pled guilty to behaving in a threatening manner in Windsor Crescent, Maddiston on August 8, August 30 and September 24 last year. She also admitted breaching her anti social behaviour order between November 13 and November 15, 2018.

Ashley Smith, procurator fiscal depute, said: “The witness was driving home when they saw a young boy throwing a bottle at their car. It struck it so the witness stopped the vehicle.

“A girl was in the company of the young boy and the witness told them this kind of thing could have caused an accident. Later that day there was a knock at the door and the witness saw the accused standing on his doorstep.

“The accused was the children’s parent and she started shouting and swearing at the witness, asking him why was he shouting at her nine-year-old boy – ‘who do you think you are talking to my boy like that?’.

“She was waving her arms around, acting aggressively and he asked her to leave – which she did when the witness’s dog leapt up.”

On another occasion the witness was awoken by a disturbance outside his property.

“He saw the accused out on the road,” said the procurator fiscal depute. “She was shouting he was going to get his house burned down.”

During the course of her tirade she used the same profanity and linked it to Protestants, HM The Queen, the UDA, the UVF and the colour orange.

Defence solicitor Gordon Addison said Lowe’s cousin, a Celtic fan, had been living with her at the time of the incidents and she felt she had to behave in the manner she did because of his presence.

Lowe’s cousin has since died and there has been no repetition of the behaviour she pled guilty to.

Sheriff Derek Livingston placed the cleaner and mum-of-four on a supervised community payback order for two years with the condition she complete 135 hours unpaid work within six months.